Push (professional wrestling)

In professional wrestling, a push is an attempt by the booker to make the wrestler win more matches and become more popular or more reviled with the fans depending on whether they are a heel or a face. A push can also be based on a single major win against a major star (for example, Shelton Benjamin's 2004 winning streak over Triple H), and it is not uncommon for a push to be accompanied by a turn or a change in the wrestler's gimmick. Pushing is usually done for new wrestlers. This is essentially the opposite of a bury (or depush), which in contrast to the high profile of a push is typically done with little or no fanfare. Sometimes the fans generate the push for a wrestler themselves when their approval for the wrestler's work generates a positive reaction from them that is not anticipated.

A wrestler that bookers are high on and are pushed to excess and/or against the wishes of the fans until they learn to accept him is called Pushing down (one's) throats. Some examples include:

In WWE, when the company was being built around a babyface John Cena, who had begun to shed his edgy, freestyle rapping anti-establishment persona which was popular in favor of a more motivational "against all odds" one, was met with a negative reaction by the fans to the point where he is still one of the most booed wrestlers in the promotion.[3]

In the Memphis territory, a legendary promoter, Nick Gulas, began to push his son, George to a main event spot despite having little in-ring experience and no athletic background. The fans quickly turned on him and the promotion, but Nick Gulas continued to push him despite the negative backlash and financial losses. In the end, Nick's insistence on keeping his son at the top of the card led to a hostile split of the territory.[4]